Steering gear



@am 29 9 i924,

E. H. SHERBONDY STEERING GEAR Filed April 20. 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 29 1924. 1,482,155

E. H. sHERBoNDY STEERING GEAR Filed April 20. 1921 2 SheerJs-Sheet 2 wuantoz V793 M ttozwuao patented dan. h, i924.

rarer BETBH?, CHIGN.

`application sled april so, i921. Serial itc. 463,00?.

To all whom it lmay concern:

Be it known that l, EARL H. Snor, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful lmprovements in Steering Gears, of which the following is a specilication, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings. i

The invention relates to steering gears designed for use on motor vehicles, and has for its object a construction in which the controls are conveniently mounted thereon. Its further object is rto increase the number of controls so mounted without increasing -the dimensions of the steering stein. lt has a further object to obtain a simple construction of mechanism, and further to obtain various advantages as hereinafter set forth.

In the drawings;- v

Fi re l, is a sectional elevation of the steering gear.

Figure 2, is a plan view thereof.

Figure 3, is a side elevation of a portion of the gear.

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail sectional view of the lower end of the steering column with the housin removed.

Figure 5 is an en arged detailv sectional view of the upper end of the steering column and showing parts in elevation.

In the present state of the art it is'usual to mount upon steering wheels the throttle control and spark control levers, but where there are other adjustments, such, for instance, as the control of the richness of the mixture, the levers are usually mounted upon the dash.

The dillicultyoll increasing-the number of controls which are mounted centrally upon the wheel is that 'the mechanical transmission therefrom must pass through the center of the steering stem, and it .is desirable to avoid anv increase in the diameter of this stem.

Another difficulty is that it is usually necessary to arrange the speed control levers in dierent planes so as to provide for the attachment of the same respective to shafts concentrically arranged; thus,r a lar number of these levers will increase the istance which they extend from the plane ofthe wheel.

Still4 other diiculties are to provide suitable transmission from the shafts passing through 'the steering stem and 'the mechanisms that are controlled thereby.

With my improved construction the several controls are all arranged in the same plane but are angularly spaced 4from each other; each control has an angular movement limited so as not to interfiere with that of an adjacent control.

The .control levers are mounted upon 'telescopically engaged tubular shafts which pass centrally through the steering stem by means of hubs, which form escopic shafts. At their lower ends these tubular shafts have mounted thereupon worm wheel segments which are clamped in osition and are provided withhub portions 'orming spacers for the tubular shafts.. The worm gears engage upony rock shafts which extend transversely to the steering stem and together with the worm wheels are com-- pletely housed in a `casing mounted at the lower end of ysaid stem.

In detail, A is the steering wheel which i is mounted at the upper end ot a revoluble steering stem B enclosed within the non-revoluble stein or housing C secured at its the worm E and worm wheel F. G is a non-revolulole tube arranged within the revoluble stem B and at its lower end lixedly secured to the housing D by means of the bushing ll and lock nut I. At the upper end of the tube G is mounted a non-revoluble housing J for. the control levers, which is peri herally cut awa at il for the passage spacers between the tellower end to a housing D, which cncloses of t e's'everal contro levers K, K and K2. v

As shown, these levers are angularly spaced tfromy each other and each has the freedom for angular. ad'ustment suilicient to operate its control mec anism without interference with the adjacent levers which are in the same lane. i

Wit in the non-revoluble tube G are telescopically arranged the tubular control shafts L, M and N, the adjacent ends of which are in stepped relation. These tubes are spaced `from each other at their upper ends by the hubs O of the levers K, K and K2, and these hubs are cut away so as to rovide `freedom for movement of adjacent evers. At theirlower ends the tubes L, M

vand N are spaced from each other by hubs P worm gears R, Rf, R2 on roclr sha-tts S, S and S2, which latter are journaled in a housing 'll detachably mounted at the lower 4end of the housing D. The housing T has a detachable cover T, which when removed permits of disengaging the rock shafts and worms.. l

The construction as 'described is one which may be easily assembled and in which the various parts are compactly arranged. The control levers being all arranged in the same plane, can beplaced close to the steering wheel, where they are easily operated and each can be adjusted without interference with the others.

W hat l claim as my invention is:

l. ln a steering gear, the combination with a tubular steering stem, of a plurality of tubular control shafts telescopically engaging said stem, control levers secured to the respective control shafts and in the same plane, and hubs for said control levers forming spacers between the several tubular shafts, said hubs being cut away to permit a limited lever.

2. ln a steering gear, the combination with a tubular steering stem, of a plurality of tubular control shafts telescopically engaging said tubular stein, control levers mounted on the respective control shafts,

said levers being arranged in the same plane and each having a hub forming a spacer between its shaft and the adjacent tubular shaft, said hub being cut away to permit a limited independent angular movement of each lever, the lower ends of said control shafts being stepped in` relation to each other, and gear segments mounted on the stepped portions of said tubes and having hubs forming spacers between said tubes.

3. A steering gear, the combination with a tubular steering stem, of a plurality of tubular control shafts telescopically engaging said stem, said shafts havingv their op-= posite ends inl stepped relation, control levers mounted on thel stems at the upper end of said shats,said levers being arranged in different segments of the samev plane of rotation and each lever having a hub forming a. spacer between its shaft and an adjacent shaft, being cut away to permit a limited angular movement of the other levers, and gears mounted on the stepped lower ends of the shaft having hubs forming spacers between said shafts.

a. ln a. steering gear, the combination with a steering stem and a Wheel mounted independent movement of each4 meente thereon, of a nonrevoluble tube extending through said stem and iiztedly secured at its lower end, a housing mounted on said tube above said steering wheel and having a segmental slot in its periphery, a plurality of control levers extending out from said housing through said segmental slot, each having a limited angle of adjustment without interference with the other levers, and tubular control shafts telescopically enga ing said non-revoluble tube and secure( to the respective control levers.

5. In a steering gear, the combination with a steering stem, oi a wheel mounted thereon, a non-revoluble tubular housing enclosing said steering stem, a non-revoluble tube within said steering stein and extending therethrough, oi" means for connectingl the lower end of said non-revoluble inner tube with said non -revoluble outer casing, a housing mounted at the upper end of said non-revoluble inner tube adjacent to said steering wheel and having a segmental slot in its periphery, a plurality of control levers extending outward through said slot in different segments thereof and each having an. angular adjustment without interference with the l' other levers, tubular control shafts telescopically engaged with each other and. with said inner non-revoluble tube, hubs on the respective control shafts, said hubs forming spacers between adjacent shafts and being cut away to permit of the independent angular adjustment of the levers, gears mounted on the lower ends of the respective control shafts having hubs forming spacers between adjacent tubes, and cooperating gears for transmitting the movement of said shafts to the respective control mechanism 6. In a steering gear, the combination with a tubular steering stem, of a plurality of control shafts telescopically engaging said stem, control levers secured to the respective control shafts and in the same plane, and hubs for said control levers forming spacers between the several shafts and rovided with means for permitting a' limited independent movement or each lever.

7. In a steering gear, the combination with a tubular steering stem, of a plurality of tubular control shafts telescopically engaging said stem control levers secured to the respective control shafts. and gear segments mounted on said shafts and having hubs forming spacers between the same. Y

ln testimony whereof' afiix my signature.

EARL H. SHERBONDY. 

